Forbidden Fruit
by ShellyStark
Summary: Skye risks her relationship with Commander Taylor and leaves Terra Nova in search of Lucas. Hoping to find him alive albeit angry in the Jungle as she struggles with feelings that are burning up inside her. Lucas/Skye sexy times to follow...eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well hellooooo everybody! Yea, yea, yea, I've gone and pushed my way into another fandom. Don't I have enough unfinished crap to write about. I just couldn't focus on anything else with these two always in the background of my mind, doing dirty thing's to each other. So here is a little something to put my brain a little bit at ease. Although...its probably just going to make my love for them grow even more and spawn some PsychoSmut XD**

**Anyway, read, enjoy, review. I'll give you extra sprinkles.**

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><p><strong>Forbidden Fruit<strong>

It had been days since Taylor had almost been killed by his own flesh and blood; and days since Skye herself had gunned the younger Taylor down. She was almost certain the Commander had forgiven her for feeding the sixers information; she did save his life after all, but then again she shot his only son right before his eyes; providing him a whole 'nother reason for him to be angry with her. Even through all the pain and suffering Lucas had bestowed on Taylor and his people, Skye could still see the anguish behind his eyes. Those cursed eyes that belonged to the man she regrettably hoped was somehow still alive in the vast jungle outside the gates.

Skye and Taylor were on what you would technically call speaking terms. They greeted each other on a daily basis and she would change his bandages when he checked in at the infirmary while they made small talk. Their chess games had yet to continue, and their relationship was far from what it used to be, but somehow she felt that they were making some sort of progression towards normalcy. Which was undoubtedly a good thing, but she didn't know how much longer she could ignore the constant itch on her mind in the form of Lucas. She honestly didn't know why, the damn psycho bashed her head against a rover for Christ's sake, not to mention the fact that he obviously had no problem hurting or even killing innocent people.

"People die Bucket, that's what they do."

Lucas' voice echoed in her mind; something he said to her the day she convinced him to let Josh live. And still, despite everything he had put her through; there was a part (a very small part) of her that felt sympathy for that bitter man.

She would give it a few more days, just a couple days more before she snuck out of Terra Nova, hopefully with a decent amount of medical supplies, to begin her search for Lucas. Taylor would undoubtedly never trust her again if he got wind that she was trying to help his son, nevertheless, it was something she had to do.

Behind her loathing for him grew something much stronger. She closed her eyes, reimaging his lips ghosting the back of her neck.

"_What a shame Bucket, I really wanted to do away with young Shannon."_

_She was turned away from him, a sheet pulled up around her in a fickle attempt to cover her bare body._

"_Lucas please," she whispered letting her eyes slip closed. _

_He dropped a soft kiss just below her hair line. "I gave you my word Skye, and for you my word is as good as gold," Lucas said softly, trailing more opened mouth kisses down her neck and stopping at her shoulder. She turned to face him at the mention of her name; his brilliant jade eyes were now a warm and wanting viridian hue. _

"_Thank you," she smiled gently and couldn't help but to reach up and let her thumb lightly trace the outside of his face. He returned her smile with a genuine one of his own, the he reserved for only her to see. Lucas leaned into her touch with a content sigh._

"_The things you do to me, Bucket," he whispered pressing a kiss to her palm. "It's enough to drive a man mad."_

"_Think we're a little late for that," she smirked, letting her hand fall away from his face._

"_Mmm, I suppose," he agreed with a wink and then moved from the bed to collect his clothes. "You should get going," Lucas said while pulling on his pants. "And don't worry about young Shannon, Bucket. As long as you know where your loyalties lie he will live to see another day in paradise."_

But she had betrayed him, hadn't she? Twice more for that matter; once with the ambush and then again when she drew the gun on him. She couldn't shake that look in his eyes when he saw her standing there after being hit with the first bullet. A look of both shock and anguish that held for merely seconds before he attempted to give one final blow to the Commander and for her to pull the trigger a second time. She watched him fall and tried to ignore the unwanted feelings stirring inside her. Why should she feel remorse for him? Why should she care if he lived or died? Why couldn't she just forget him and go on living her old life?

Probably for the same reasons that Lucas Taylor couldn't stop thinking of her as he lied, shivering with fever barely three clicks away from her.

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><p><strong>Me again, a little bit of musical inspiration for you. Cheers Darlin' by Damien Rice; a nice angsty tune with a jealously streak, I Remember, also by Damien Rice; a nice sweet beginning and a super angsty ending. Oh and One and Only by Adele; for a bit of a sappier approach. I really want to use that one in a eventual fanvid. Until the next,<strong>

** Shelly**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well I see the favorites and the alerts…and I love them I do, but really, I'd like to know your opinions, they make me happy and feed my psycho angst monster. Naturally this would mean more writing. :D Enjoy!**

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><p>The piss poor attempt at a fire had gone out long ago. His survival skills had been severely lacking as of late, all thanks to that damned girl that he couldn't get out of his mind. Even now, lying in the dirt, his body shivering uncontrollably, he closed his eyes and thought of her striking blue eyes and her warm smile. He had wanted her from the first moment he laid eyes on her, no, he <em>needed<em> her. Needed her to make him remember what it was like to feel.

Lucas had managed to dig out one of the bullets himself, the one in his shoulder, the other one remained in his chest. Both holes already had yellow edging and were beginning to look worse and worse as the days dragged on. He hadn't eaten in the past three days, and even before that the only thing he could find was some not so tasty fruit. Not that taste mattered anymore; he ate it only for the sake of eating and the possible hope of staying alive. A hope that was quickly fading away.

It was sheer dumb luck that he had been avoided by carnos, nykoraptors, and whatever the hell else was out there. He could hear them off in the distance at night, but made no attempt to run. His former tent was too far off, there was no way he could have made it with infection settling in, and it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. So he stayed at the falls; in the comfort of his etched equations. He knew his father would stay inside Terra Nova until his own wounds had healed; then even if he did decide to go looking for his estranged son, by then, Lucas figured he would be long dead.

Yet here he was still breathing.

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><p>Skye managed to sneak a handful of isobiotics and shove them in her pack with a change of clothes, a few blankets, some leftovers from dinner, and a knife; she wasn't stupid, she knew what he was capable of and needed to protect herself. She waited in her bed, fully clothed and impatient, waiting for everyone in the house to fall asleep. It wasn't until the early morning hours that she managed to be able to creep out of the house, hoping she wouldn't run into anyone on her way OTG.<p>

She had no idea where even to start, the place where it all went down, the sixer camp, the falls, that bastard could be anywhere. So she walked without any agenda whatsoever. As luck would have it, she didn't have to go very far, almost two clicks in she could see smoke rising from above the tree line, up towards Snakehead falls.

"Of course," she muttered to herself. Skye readjusted her pack and kept on moving. At least she knew where to go now, but she couldn't help but worry about what she would find when she got there.

She slid down the slick rocks, taking care not to let her pack touch the water, a wet blanket would do him no good on a cool night, if he was even still alive.

She reached the bottom of the falls in one piece and amazingly mostly dry. She quietly walked the grounds searching for any signs of human life in the area. Soon enough she saw the bundle of burnt out logs and a still figure lying next to it, face up, in the dirt.

"No," she whispered bringing a hand up to her face.

She knew that Lucas wasn't dumb enough to let his flame go out, it would be one of the few things to keep some of the creatures at bay. A dead fire was not a good sign, not at all.

Skye found herself rushing to his side. She knelt down beside him and scanned his features. His shirt, or what was left of it, was tattered and stained with blood; presumably both his own and his fathers. A quiet tear slipped from her eye once she noticed the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Good. So he was alive, allegedly. She let her hand sweep down the side of his face; his skin burning to the touch. She frowned and wiped some of the grime off his forehead. With a sigh she pulled the blanket out of her pack and gently draped it over his body. She walked the perimeter and gathered some more firewood and relit his fire, then sat down next to him, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Lucas," she wept softly while rocking back and forth. Skye had no clue what had come over her, she shouldn't be crying over the man who caused her life so much hell, but what her head and what her heart wanted her to feel was two entirely different things.

The flames now danced and lit up Lucas' sleeping form. She refused to take her eyes off his beaten body; dried blood still clinging to the side of his face. She hated to even think about what he had gone through while he was out here, alone, slowly dying, all because of her. But it needed to be done, she just couldn't let him kill his father, not when the Commander had done nothing but provide for her and the colony. Still, she certainly did not want to kill him, she honestly thought the first shot would have been enough to put Lucas' actions at bay. He brought the second shot on himself; and still she hated herself for it. If he died, his blood would be on her hands.

She didn't sleep, she couldn't, she just sat there watching and waiting for him to at least open his eyes; pulled in by the sereneness that was held in his sleeping face. She desperately wanted to dive into cleaning him up, but not while he was sleeping. Half dead or not he was still Lucas Taylor and she was sure somewhere deep down he would find the strength to hurt her. Hell, maybe even kill her, she was sure he hated her now, he had to.

The sun rose and Lucas flinched when the warm rays touched his face. Skye watched as his eyes blinked, once, twice, three times before opening. His body jumped slightly at the newfound weight atop his body, his hand running up the seam of the blanket until he reached the top. His lips twitched slightly. Skye's eyes widened her hand ready on her knife just in case.

"Hello, Bucket," Lucas said in a quiet raspy voice.

"How did you-"

"The blanket," he interrupted. "It's, it's" Lucas coughed and groaned, bringing his hand up to his chest. "It's mine. The same one I gave to your mother." He coughed again and closed his eyes. "I'm dying, Bucket, painfully and slowly. Now hopefully soon I'll wake up and this dream will be over, because there is no way in hell you are here."

Skye took a chance and moved closer to him. "You're not dreaming Lucas, and if I have a say in it, you're not going to die either."

"I should. I probably deserve to die. You certainly want me dead," he coughed again. "Isn't that right, Bucket?" He opened his eyes and lazily looked at her, his jade eyes faded and weak.

Skye sighed, "no, Lucas."

She couldn't help but notice the little flash of hope in his face at her reply.

"Really? But you-"

"I know, and now I'm here to fix you."

"There is no fixing me, Bucket. You'd be foolish to think such a thing," he coughed.

"Your wounds idiot," she retorted, shifting her body to the back of his head and gently lifting his head into her lap.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhh," she hushed him and brought a canteen to his lips. "You shouldn't sit up, not until I've had a good look anyway. But you need to drink, and eat, but well get to that soon enough."

His eyes lit up again.

"You brought me food?"

"Yes, Lucas, I brought you food."

He took in the water eagerly, coughing half of it up from drinking too fast. Skye put her hands gently on his shoulders, so he would do any more damage to himself. Lucas closed his eyes, his breathing hard and ragged.

"I couldn't, I couldn't," he took another breath. "I couldn't get the other bullet out," he finally breathed. "It needs to come out, Bucket."

"Lucas I don't know if I ca-" she started.

"Yes," his hand came up he lightly wrapped his fingers around hers. "Yes, Bucket, you can. You said you want to keep me alive yes?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then it needs," he groaned, "to come out."

"Okay," she nodded with false certainty. "I brought isobiotics."

"Good girl," he said softly giving her a weak smile. "But sorry, no pain killers."

"I've lived without them long enough; I've managed it this long."

Skye's eyes wandered down to the scars that trailed behind his ear. "Alright then."

She pulled off her shirt along with the first tank top she had on, balled them up and set it behind Lucas' head. Gingerly, she pulled the blanket down from his chest, exposing the swollen skin underneath. The edges of both holes were already yellow and oozing.

"Oh my god Lucas, their already-"

"I know," he breathed. "Just do it, Bucket."

Skye took the canteen and let the water wash over the entry point on his chest. Lucas' body flinched and he groaned slightly. He reached down to his side and removed his knife from its sheath and pressed it into her hand.

"Careful, Bucket," he whispered between breaths.

Skye nodded.

"I tried once myself before I passed out. You should be able to see it."

She nodded again.

"All right, take the tip of the knife and carefully pull it up."

Skye pulled her hair up and leaned over his body, resting her unused hand on the opposite side of his chest. Slowly she brought the tip down until it made contact with the metal. Lucas stiffened and tried his best to contain a groan.

"Lucas, I can't-"

His hand came up and gripped her behind her neck, pulling her forehead to his. "Yes, Bucket you can. You have to," he ground out. Lucas sighed and released her. "Go on."

She tried again, this time managing to get the knife's tip under the lip of the bullet. Slowly, she pried it up, wincing at the sound it made pulling at his flesh. Lucas groaned one hand balled into a fist by his side, the other clamping down on her leg, squeezing each time she moved the bullet a little further out.

"Almost there," she assured him, "I've almost got it."

With another few pulls, it was far enough out to grab with her fingertips and much easier to remove. Lucas cried out and clamped down on her leg again when she pulled it the rest of the way out, his body arching in pain. Once she was finished he collapsed, his breathing labored and his eyes sealed shut.

"You need to cauterize the wounds, Skye," Lucas breathed out.

She nodded and stuck the length of the knife into the coals of the fire. Lucas breathing was still ragged and she hadn't even noticed that he now was gripping her other hand and was firmly holding it to his body. She waited a few moments and pulled the blade out, not wasting any time sealing the wound above his shoulder. He yelled and gripped her hand, pulling her closer into him.

"Just one more," she said, instinctively stroking his face and forcing him to look at her. Lucas nodded his eyes full of pain. Skye heated the knife once more and placed the fat side over the entry point on his chest and as before Lucas writhed in pain. She shouldn't have cared that she was causing him pain, she should have welcomed it in fact; but she hated it. It pulled at her insides and ripped at her core. Lucas finally released her and brought his hands up to his face, breathing heavy, letting out a groan on each exhale and then nothing.

"Lucas," Skye said quietly. There was no reply, not even an acknowledgment. "Lucas," she called a little louder this time, "Lucas look at me!"

Lucas removed his hands, leaving trails of dirt and sweat down his cheeks, his eyes tired and glossy.

"I'm still here, Bucket," he breathed.

Skye nodded, turning away from him to try to hide the relief in her eyes. She rummaged through her pack and took hold of the isobiotics.

"Here," she said, folding the medication over in his hand. "The quicker you get that in you the better." Skye grabbed a shirt out of her bag and went down to the water's edge. With the wet shirt in hand she sat back down next to Lucas and began to wipe the sweat and dried blood away from his face. He turned his face to look at her and held her eyes with his own.

"Does my father know you're here?" Lucas quietly asked.

Skye shook her head.

"So you came out here on your own free will? Risking everything?"

She didn't answer, she couldn't answer; what the hell kind of reply was he expecting her to give?

Lucas looked up toward through the trees and closed his eyes with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, Bucket," he whispered, moments before his breathing steadied and he fell victim to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This will most likely be the last of the night. Have work tomorrow, but it is a short day so hopefully you won't have to wait too long. Thanks for the alerts and the reviews! Cupcakes to all! **

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><p>Skye took Lucas' sleeping as an opportunity to finish cleaning him up. Now that he was out cold and already knew about her being there she hoped he wouldn't snap awake and have some sort of… reaction. It was also partly because she wanted to avoid any awkward moments between the two as she was tending to his body.<p>

She put his knife back in the sheath attached to his hip and used her own to cut him out of his shirt, taking the remnants down to the water doing her best to clean them up and make them usable as makeshift rags. Skye gently cleaned around his gunshot wounds first; being especially careful not to put very much pressure on them, just enough to get the dirt away from the holes. She moved on to the other cuts and scrapes on his torso. Skye couldn't help but frown at the new scars that would soon mix with the old. She allowed her fingers to gingerly trace an older one that went across his abdomen, her mind taking her back to that night she convinced him to let Josh live, the night she might have exposed a little bit too much of her feelings.

"_And this one?" she asked, dragging her finger along the light line that went from one side of the bottom of his stomach to the other. She lay beside him propped up on one elbow, a playful smile tugging at her lips._

"_That one," Lucas said softly as he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger, "That one my dear sister is boring. Pick another." _

"_But I want to know about this one," she teased, lightly tugging on the dark hairs just below his belly button._

"_Bucket," he warned._

"_Lucas-" she mimicked. _

"_Skye," he paused, "don't make me have to tell you twice."_

"_If it's really that boring, I don't see what the big deal is," she grinned. "Just tell me."_

_Without warning Lucas grabbed hold both her wrists and flipped her on her back, securing her hands above her head and bringing his face inches away from hers. His eyes flooded with rage and annoyance. Fear flashed in her bright blue eyes and her body stiffened beneath him._

"_I said drop it, Bucket," he ground out between his teeth. _

_Lucas took a moment and focused on her features, scanning her face and taking notice of her fear. He secured her hands with just one of his and used the other to brush some stray curls behind her._

"_It wasn't my intention to scare you, Skye," Lucas said, both his voice and his face softening. "Perhaps next time, okay?"_

_Skye nodded, resisting the urge to run out the room and never look back._

"_That's a good girl," Lucas grinned. He let the hand restraining her wrists slide down her arm, glide softly over her cheek and come to rest behind her neck._

"_I'll never get over how beautiful you are," he whispered; leaning in and letting his lips ghost over hers in an almost shy feather light kiss. He was more confident in the next kiss. His lips softly massaged her own in a surprisingly sweet manner. His tongue warm and sweet, slid against her bottom lip and Skye betrayed everything she knew was wrong and welcomed him in as he moaned lightly into her mouth. Her hands found themselves roaming through his hair and came to rest at the base of his neck, pulling him further into her. _

_She wanted nothing more than to stop. This was Lucas damnit, and it was sooo wrong, and yet it felt so good. He felt so good, right even, as if he was her missing puzzle piece. She tried reasoning that this was only to save her friend and it meant nothing to her, but that didn't stop her from moaning herself when his lips trailed down her neck and settled on the fabric of her bra, teasing the bud beneath._

_She wrapped her legs around his hips and his arms went around her back; he sat up, pulling her into his lap. His opened mouthed kisses now at the hollow of her neck._

"_Lucas," she whispered…_

"Enjoying yourself, Bucket?" Lucas' tired voice pulled her back to reality and she inhaled sharply, quickly retracting her hand from his skin. How long had she been sitting there like that, remembering him the way she was, and feeling like, yes, yes, in fact she was quite enjoying herself. Until she remembered where they were and why.

"I..uh…I was just…uh…cleaning you up a little. Don't want you to get any worse off than you already are," she stammered with a nervous grin.

Lucas chuckled and then winced at the pain it brought to his injuries.

"Serves you right," Skye scolded, standing up and walking away from him, gathering up some more wood for their fire before settling down on a rock, facing away him.

"August, 2138," Lucas said softly.

"What?" She asked turning her head in his direction.

"You once asked me about that particular scar, you still want to know?" Lucas shifted slightly, grunting as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Lucas don't-" Skye said warningly, moving to his side.

"I'll be fine," he ground out. Lucas took a deep breath and locked his eyes on hers. "Now, Bucket, do you want to know or not?"

Skye nodded. "Why now," she asked cocking her head to the side.

"Because, Skye, you saved me. And I believe, unless I've forgotten my manners completely, that I should acknowledge that and give you something in return."

"I don't think that is how that works," Skye said with a contorted grin.

"Just shut up, Bucket before I change my mind."  
>Skye did as she was told, leaning back and crossing her legs in front of her.<p>

"August, 2138,"

"Lucas I already know-" Skye interrupted him.

"No, Bucket! You don't!" Lucas yelled; she was certain he would have grabbed her if he had been able. He took a breath and began again. "They told my father he had to choose, me or my mother. And yes I know that you already know that," he said with glaring emerald eyes. "As you can imagine, Bucket, this wasn't an easy choice. They drew a knife on my mother," Lucas paused, sorrow flooding his eyes. He sighed, "My sweet beautiful mother. You remind me of her, you know, sometimes." He sighed again, "They held it to her neck, the blade, pressed hard enough to draw blood ; trying to force my father to make his decision. Another one drew a blade on me, but there was no pressing," Lucas shook his head, "oh, no, no, no, not for me. I got a quick slice to the belly, that's what I got."

"Lucas I-"

"There was so much blood," he laughed in disgust, staring out past the trees. "I was certain I was going to die, right then and there at fourteen years old. And I was also certain my mother would get to live. I was prepared to die for her, and if she were alive today, I would gladly lay down my life for her still."

Lucas took a breath and blinked slowly. "But then I heard my name. The great Nathaniel Taylor spoke my name and I was saved," he laughed harshly again before his voice dropped down to a whisper. "Just like that, Bucket. I was saved and my dear mother received a death sentence." He quickly brushed away the dampness that had begun to pool in the corner of his eyes.

"Happy now, Bucket."

"Of course not, Lucas," she replied not bothering to stop herself from placing a reassuring hand over his arm. "You didn't have to tell me you know."

"Yeah, well, I told you I would and I suppose now was as good a time as any," Lucas said with a sad smile. "And you do remind me of her, Skye," he said softly, tracing a line down her shoulder and letting it rest on her thigh. Leaning slightly into her.

"Lucas, don't. Please," Skye whispered.

He pulled back and sighed. "I'm not all bad, Bucket. I'd wish you realize that," he murmured more to himself than to her.

Skye got up and retrieved her pack, pulling out the small box of food that she had packed.

"Here," she said setting it down beside him. "Think you can sit all the way up?"

"Most likely," he grunted; attempting to do so.

"All right," she nodded. "Eat up, and take more isobiotics." Skye began to walk away from him.

"Are you leaving?" Lucas asked, failing to mask the urgency in his voice.

"No." Skye shook her head. "Just going for a walk; look for more wood, food, maybe wash up." She looked back at him. "Truth is Lucas, I can't leave, I can't go back there expecting to be welcomed with open arms. But we, on the other hand should be moving on as soon as you are able. Soon or a later Taylor will come looking for the both of us, and I'm sure we won't be wanting to run into him."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been so long since Lucas have had any type of proper food to eat, so naturally what Skye gave him lasted a mere few minutes. Now, fully awake and bored, he looked down to get a good look at his injuries. The yellowing was already beginning to fade and they were starting to scab; he was glad to see that the isobiotics were doing their job and that he would be on his feet again hopefully in a day or two's time.

But what then? When he was all better, would she leave him?

No. That wouldn't happen. That couldn't happen. He wouldn't let it. Lucas needed her to remain with him. He had already forgiven her for the pain she inflicted upon him, he didn't have a choice in the matter really, who else was there that in some way could understand him.

No one. It was her, and only her.

He would make her realize that in the end.

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><p>He no longer cared about reopening the fracture to 2149; he had lived out here for so long that he was almost more comfortable in the jungle than he was in a bed, hell, a cot even. Skye was right, he was sure his father would be looking soon, and now that he was indeed alive, he intended to stay that way. They needed to leave as soon as possible.<p>

But what then? His mind couldn't sit still for long, he thrived in what he did, it was his life, boredom would set in very fast. In fact, it already had. Unless she was there, he was perfectly content just to watch her and have her near.

They really had to get moving, the sooner the better. He didn't have a day to spare.

He attempted to get up on his own; his legs did nothing but wobble and collapse beneath him. With being off his feet for almost two weeks and only having proper care for the past few days his strength had diminished and he stumbled back onto the ground.

"Son of a bitch," Lucas grunted; staying still in the dirt while he tried to catch his breath. He dragged his body over to a fallen limb near the river bed. It was an older branch, nice and strong, and big, easily enough to be used as some sort of crutch. He stuck it hard into the ground, making sure it wasn't going anywhere and used his arms to pull himself up. He groaned in pain as he forced his way off the ground into a standing position. He moved his crutch forward and leaned into it, moving his feet slightly, slowly moving forward.

"Ha!" Lucas beamed with laughter. "Look at that!" He exclaimed out loud to himself. Lucas kept going, further and further away from the comfort of the flames. He caught a glimpse of her returning, the sun beams bouncing off her fair skin, her eyes met his for a moment and he grinned. She only shook her head in disapproval. He moved the crutch another few inches forward and took another step. The branch slid out from under his weight, lurching him forward and right into the rushing waters.

"Lucas!" He heard her yell his name before he went under, his arms frantically looking for a something to hold on to when something grabbed onto him instead. He panicked, thinking it was a creature and tried to shake it off.

"Lucas, it's me!" He heard her voice call. Whipping his head around he saw her body on the ledge, her feet secured around a mound of rocks and her hands wrapped firmly around his wrist.

"Bucket," he said with hope to himself before calling out to her. "Skye!"

"I can't pull you up alone Lucas," she shouted over the water.

No, of course she couldn't, she wasn't strong enough. He should have realized that sooner.

"Use your legs, Lucas, try to swim," she urged, her feet slipping a small amount allowing her body to move forward; Lucas froze in fear, he was afraid if he used her as leverage, he would surely pull her in. He looked behind him taking notice to the cavern not far off in the distance. If he tried hard enough he just might make it.

"Do it now Lucas!" Skye commanded; sliding further towards the water.

Lucas clamped his other hand down over her arms and kicked, pulling slightly, and sure enough her small body continued to move. His eyes met hers, and he knew she could see the regret behind them.

"Don't you dare," she warned him, "Lucas Taylor, don't you dare."

"It's all right Skye, I'll be fine."

She shook her head, tears trailing down her porcelain cheeks. "No."

"Just let go, Skye, you have to let me go," Lucas tried to convince her, but her grip only tightened and she kept coming closer.

"DAMNIT, BUCKET, LET ME THE FUCK GO!" he screamed at her, even pulled her a just a small amount to make sure she was aware of the danger she was in.

Skye closed her eyes, he watched as her lips moved but he heard no sound. "I'm sorry," they said, and she released her hold.

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><p>"Lucas!" Skye yelled, moving as quickly as she could without falling in herself toward the cave. "Lucas, you bastard, you better be alive," she said to herself moving as fast as her legs could carry her.<p>

The water was calmer by the cave's entrance; it was the rushing water she was worried about. He would have had to manage to either hold his breath and swim for it or try his best to keep his head up and hope for the best. Skye hadn't seen him resurface; she hoped to god he was strong enough to take keep in a decent amount of air. When she reached the calmer waters she still hadn't seen him emerge and without second thought she jumped in and swam for the cave. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the light change, it was dark and empty. Still no sign of Lucas.

Maybe she just couldn't see him.

"Lucas?" she called, "Lucas, please." She continued to scan her surroundings and tears began to sting her eyes. "Damn you, Lucas" she cried, "Don't you dare leave me now; a little trip down the river isn't enough to kill you."

Skye jumped; behind her, there was a large splash, a large intake of air, and something desperately grabbing at her body.

"Lucas!" she cried out, attempting to turn around.

Skye had never fear in his eyes before, and now that she had she never wanted to see it again. Seeing him scared only made her worry more.

Fear was not becoming on Lucas Taylor.

With each breath he took the more water he swallowed and the more he went under. It took everything she had to maneuver herself around him and hook her arms under his.

"It's all right, Lucas, it's going to be all right," she breathed into his ear as she pulled him toward the shallow end of the cave and pulled him up onto the rock floor; both of them now lying beside each other, panting heavily.

It was Lucas who broke the silence between them.

"Let's not do that again, all right, Bucket."

"Yeah," she breathed, "fine by me."

Lucas attempted a chuckle and tapped the back of her hand with his fingers.

"I need to get up," he groaned.

Skye sat up beside him and let him use her body as leverage until he was in a sitting position. Lucas wiped his hand down his face and looked at her. Skye's eyes dark and her lips pressed thin, glaring at him as she once did when he threatened her poor mother.

"What?"

"Forget it," she said shortly, looking the other way.

He noticed a small cut on her chest, blood dripping onto the hem of her tank top. Most likely from the rocky river bed, or perhaps from his grabbing at her while trying to keep his head above water.

"You're bleeding," he whispered, moving his hand to wipe the blood away with his thumb; only to have her slap it away.

"I'm fine," she snapped.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and opened his mouth, but he had no words for her now, as much as he wanted to snap back at her he honestly couldn't think of anything negative to say. "I think I'll be able to walk, but I'll need help getting up."

Skye sighed, shook her head and stood up before reluctantly holding her hand out to him. He was a little wobbly, but he managed to stand on his own, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady himself.

She was still glaring at him.

"We should go," he suggested, "It'll be dark in a-" he was abruptly interrupted when her hand roughly met his rugged face.

"What the hell Lucas!" she yelled, "were you trying to get yourself killed?" She poked a finger into his shoulder causing to wobble a bit and step back.

Skye took a step forward.

"I come all the way out here, risk everything, just hoping you were still alive, and then you do something so, so, stupid!"

With each step she took, he took another backwards hobble, until he was flat against the cave wall.

Lucas had never seen this side to her. The fury behind her eyes was so enticing; it both excited and angered him.

"Don't forget dear sister," he started with a whisper. "IT WAS YOU WHO SHOT ME!"

Skye's breath hitched at the sudden raise in his voice, but refused to back down.

"I HAD NO CHOICE, WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO, LET YOU KILL HIM?"

"YES," he shouted grabbing her by the shoulders, "IT WAS GOING TO BE EITHER HIM OR ME," Lucas took hold of her chin and lowered his face down to be level with hers. "And you took it upon yourself to make that choice."

"He wouldn't have killed you, Lucas, why can't you see that?" she whispered, "and I never wanted to pull that trigger."

"But you did," he sneered, "you shot me, not once but twice, all to save your precious Commander."

Lucas closed his eyes and sighed, releasing his grip on her chin and gently stroked the side of her face.

"But you came back for me," he said quietly, his voice switching to a much calmer demeanor. "Why, why would you do that?" Lucas let his hand trail down to the back of her neck, pressing his forehead against hers, breathing her in.

"Lucas," Skye whispered with a shaky breath. "Lucas, don't."

"Don't what, Bucket?" he replied huskily as he leaned in further, his lips hovering atop of hers. Lucas shifted his head slightly just so that their mouth's barely touched.

"Lucas," she whispered again "I, I—"

"Shhh." He closed the gap and silenced her, his lips soft and gentle.

Skye froze at his touch, but soon melted into him, bringing her hands up to his shoulders and letting them run the length of his chest.

Lucas flinched in pain and pulled away.

"Sorry," she apologized, bringing her hands to her mouth.

Lucas grinned, and she could see his eyes glisten in the low light of the cave.

"Soon, Bucket," he chuckled, "you'll see things my way soon enough."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, too soon, too soon, it was supposed to be a forced thing, where he just kind of yanks her into him, but yea...didn't happen that way...so you got this, sorry if it seems rushed, but once I started I couldn't stop. **

**Hope you enjoyed! Let me know won't you? Reviews make me happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas' pace was slow, making the walk back to their camping spot painfully long…and quiet. Every so often he would stumble and lean into Skye's body, using her as a human crutch. Skye wasn't sure if this was because he was genuinely having a hard time, or if he was just using his weakness as an excuse to be closer to her. Either way, she wasn't what you would call pleased with him or his frustrating mood swings. She's seen what he can be, the soft and dare she say, tender, side of Lucas Taylor; where his voice is so calm and his touches so delicate. Sadly his bitter nature and angry outbursts were enough to cancel out the good, and yet she finds herself drawn to him still.

They approach their fire and Lucas wastes no time pulling off his boots, followed shortly after by his pants, and set them out to dry on some rocks not too far off from the fire, then takes a seat and watches her intently. Skye knows that she really should follow suit, if she stays clothed the cold night will not be kind to her. But she wasn't about to do it with him eyeing her like his next meal.

"Lucas?" She called his name questionably, "do you mind?" Skye twirls her finger in a circular motion and smiles uncomfortably.

"Hmm?" He cocks his head a little to the left and smirks. "What's wrong Bucket, feeling a little bit modest?" Lucas clicked his tongue, "tsk, tsk, tsk, I thought we were beyond that." A devious grin spread across his face and he pulled his lower lip into his mouth.

She closes her eyes and grits her teeth.

"Well," Lucas scoffed, "I guess everything was all about young Shannon after all."

"Uggh," Skye huffed and went briskly over to her pack and picked up her blanket. Lucas smirked when she marched over to a tree branch and tossed it over to make a curtain in front of her body.

"And here I thought you rather enjoyed yourself, Bucket," Lucas teased.

Quickly, she shimmied out of her outer layers and pulled the blanket over her body and marched over to take her spot by the fire.

"I thought you were bringing back dinner?" he grumbled once she was settled.

"I'm sorry, what?" Skye asked taken aback.

"Earlier. You had mentioned something about going to find food," he replied, making sure to put extra emphasis on the word food.

"Sorry, they were fresh out of Xiphkabobs and coffee," Skye sneered, "but if you'd like some fruit…I DROPPED IT ALL WHEN YOU FELL IN THE GOD DAMNED RIVER!" She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and stared into the flames.

"Why are you really here, Bucket? Did my father send you?" Lucas asked. His guard was up full force now, not that she was the least bit surprised; she knew if she started getting snippy with him he would only retaliate in his own ways.

"I already told you, Lucas, Taylor doesn't know I'm here." She didn't dare meet his gaze; she kept her eyes glued to the flickering embers avoiding whatever glare he might be giving her.

"But why should I believe you. You betrayed me, gave yourself to me, and then betrayed me yet again, oh and I mustn't forget" he paused and waved a hand in front of his chest, "your most recent endeavor."

Her eyes met his then, the fire dancing in his jade eyes. He almost looked sad, as if he was genuinely disappointed that she had played him like a fool multiple times. She almost felt bad for him. Shit, who was she trying to kid, she did feel bad for him. Sure he was a complete psychopath with a murderous nature, but she could see it in his eyes when he talked about the commander, he honestly believed that Taylor blamed everything on him.

Five years alone in the jungle, a dinosaur ridden jungle at that, with that type of guilt weighing down on you, is only destined to drive one to the point of udder madness.

And that, despite everything inside of her screamed it was wrong, felt sympathy for the beautiful monster he was.

"I told you I didn't want to do it, Lucas. It was the only way," Skye whispered. She watched his sorrowful emerald eyes blink slowly and then slip close as he took in a deep breath.

"I've forgiven you, Bucket. Far too many times than I should have, and I'd probably do it again and again, time after time, I'd forgive you." Lucas shook his head and looked off into the distance. "Why I do, I'll never know," he sighed. "Get some rest, Skye; we're going to have some rough days ahead of us." He leaned back onto the ground with a groan and turned his back to her.

Skye arranged her blanket in a way so that it was more like a sleeping bag; the roughness of the wool tickled her skin and she shuddered, being reminded of his stubble being scratched across her neck, the memory slowly soothing her into sleep.

"_I could lie here next to you forever," Lucas whispered hotly into her ear. He was curled around her body with one arm possessively wrapped around her middle. "Couldn't you, my dear Bucket?" he asked before dropping a kiss on her shoulder._

"_It's not that easy, Lucas," she sighed, shifting slightly in his arms._

"_It's that Shannon boy, Isn't it? That's why you came to me in the first place, and while bribes really aren't my thing, Bucket, I can't tell you how happy I am that you're here."_

_And there it was, the deep down raw sweetness that he kept tucked away, a sweetness that was reserved for her, and it made her chest tighten and her heart weaken._

_His grip contracted around her_

_Skye turned to face him, his jade eyes full of warmth and sincerity. She reached up and traced the scars behind his ear, causing him to shiver at her touch._

"_What happened," she whispered._

"_Nykoraptor," he replied with a sideways smile, "happened the first week I was alone out there. I was hunting for some grub and all the while she was hunting me." _

_Skye leaned up and placed a soft kiss below the place that the lines stopped. _

_His eyes widened and his breath hitched at the feeling of her warm lips against his skin._

"_How about this one," she asked tracing a thin white line on his upper arm._

"_Um," he coughed, "Howler caught me attempting to steal eggs. Momma wasn't too keen on me eating her babies."_

"_Mmm," Skye hummed bringing her lips down on the mark._

"_Here?" she gently pulled her fingers down a scratch on his cheek._

"_Tree branch," he answered quickly, anticipating the flutter of her lips on his face. He smiled when she pulled away to look at him._

"_I think I've found a new favorite game," he whispered bringing his forehead in to touch hers. _

_Skye laughed lightly and gently pushed on his shoulders forcing him onto his back, running her hand down the smoothness of his chest, searching for another battle scar._

"_Well, you certainly can't lose," she said playfully._

"_No, no I can't especially if I've already won."_

A/N: **Okay, so I'm not quite sure what a howler is, don't think it was ever explained, but sounds like some sort of bird to me, you agree? The last few days have been rough, been having some slight eye issues, but hey, I made a Lucas/Skye vid that you should totally check out.**

youtube(.)com/watch?v=kilLlMEjw_g

**Hope you all enjoyed and see ya around!**

**Shelly**


	6. Chapter 6

Despite the tree coverage, the sun still found its way into Skye's eyes, causing her to squeeze them tight before opening them. She was shocked she slept through the night; her body must have been tired from the extra strain of the past few days, 'because it sure as hell wasn't because she was comfortable. She blinked a few times then rolled over, focusing on Lucas' spot across the fire pit. Skye rubbed eyes and shook her head, trying to make sure she was seeing properly. His blanket was there, all tangled up alongside a pile of rocks, Lucas, however, was not.

"Shit," she whispered, pulling her own blanket around her body and sitting up. "Lucas?" she called quietly. "Where the hell is he," she mumbled to herself. It wasn't like he could get very far on his own, what if something…got him. Skye crawled over to where he had been sleeping and found nothing, nothing that wasn't already there before.

_Crunch, snap_; Skye whipped her head around, searching the tree lines. There were several more crunches in the distance, followed by a loud screech. Skye did her best to quickly build the flames up in their fire and stumbled over to her pack and grabbed her knife, preparing herself for whom, or whatever was quickly moving in on her.

"You know, Bucket, paranoia and the jungle don't mix," Lucas' cool and calm voice came from behind her.

Skye jumped and turned around, dropping her blanket in the process. Lucas was propped up against a tree, dressed, (well, as dressed as he could be) and eating some fruit.

"Lucas, what, what are you, just—" she stammered attempting to get the blanket re-situated around her.

His eyes slowly passed over her body, lingering perhaps a little longer than he should have.

"Went down to the water, washed up a little, found some of your lost fruit," he grinned, "which is pretty tasty might I add."

"Are you insane?" She huffed, "never mind, don't answer that," she shook her head, "You seriously went back down to the water after what happened just yesterday?"

"Relax, Bucket, I only went where it was calm, besides look," Lucas slowly pushed away from the tree and took a few steps toward her. His legs were still a little wobbly, but he managed to stay on his feet and kept on shuffling her way. "I'll be better in no time," he whispered, cupping her cheek, "thanks to you." Lucas leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. Skye's body immediately tensed up and she could feel the color flowing into her cheeks. Lucas pulled back and looked at her with that unavoidable look of adoration she had seen too many times before.

"Breakfast, Bucket?" he grinned placing a piece of the fruit between her lips.

She took his offering in, closing her eyes and stifling a moan as it went down. He was right, it was pretty damned good. She let her tongue dart out and licked up the remaining juice on her mouth.

"So, uh, you got a plan?" Skye asked shyly turning away from him. She held tight to her blanket and went to gather up her clothes, taking them over to the tree she had used to undress the previous night.

"I have an idea," Lucas replied.

"And…?" she said slowly, stepping out from behind her blanket slash curtain. Lucas was busy kicking dirt over their fire. She had to admit he did look better; most of his color had returned to normal, his face would flinch in pain every so often, but he said nothing and just went about his way.

"First, we need to go back to the sixers camp."

"I'm sorry what?" She was not expecting that, hell she had no clue what she had been expecting but she definitely did not want to go stomping back into Mira's territory. Skye shook her head.

"No, no way, Lucas, there is no way in hell—"

"They won't be there, Bucket."

"Of course they're there, Lucas, where else would they be?"

Lucas cocked his head in curiosity. "He didn't tell you?"

Skye shook her head, "tell me what?"

Lucas brushed off his hands and looked at her reassuringly. "Trust me, they won't be there. And we won't be there long, just long enough to see if there is anything left of my tent and what other supplies we can manage to find."

"Where did they go?" Skye asked.

"What?" Lucas continued to pack up her bag and tried to make their camp look like it had been abandoned for a long while.

"Where—did they go?" She repeated.

Lucas stopped to think. How much did she know? Did she even know what was in that container? Hell, he wasn't even sure if he could trust her, she'd fooled him enough times before and he wasn't going to give her an opportunity to do it again.

"You'll find out soon enough, Bucket."

Lucas ignored the pain that shot up his arm when she picked up her bag and handed it to her, "We need to get moving, I'm going to slow us down as it is."

Skye nodded, taking her pack and sliding her arms through the straps.

"Off we go then," Lucas winked and started to limp his way into the brush. "Ooop!" Lucas' legs had already begun to give out over all the extra work he had been putting them through. Skye swiftly into his good side, slipping his arm over her shoulder.

"Lucas, maybe we should wait another day," she suggested, her voice a little labored from taking on a good portion of his weight.

"No," he breathed, "My father will come looking, the sooner we leave the better. We'll take it slow and make it there by nightfall."

* * *

><p>They had to stop at least once, sometimes twice an hour so Lucas could rest and for Skye to make sure everything was healing the way it should and shove isobiotics his way. His bullet holes were now overlapped with the burn marks from his knife, they were starting to darken around the edges and the outer layers were already flaking. The puss that had once been seeping from his wounds were now a thing of the past, now there was just the occasional clear fluid that she did her best to keep clean. They stayed along the water for as long as they could, Lucas objected to this, telling her it would take up unneeded time; Skye argued it was for his own good. He needed to stay hydrated and get isobiotics in him on a regular basis, so he gave in to her.<p>

Like he always did.

Skye was shocked that that they actually made it with about an hour to spare until the sun set. Lucas spent the last few hours of their journey heavily leaning on her for support. She kept urging him to stop and rest but he insisted they pushed on.

"Just a little Further," he said with ragged breath. "We'll make it, Bucket, we'll make it."

"Okay, but we are resting a full day once we arrive, agreed?"

Lucas didn't answer; he only gripped her shoulders and attempted to keep himself upright.

"Agreed?" Skye asked again, this time with a light nudge to his body.

"It's not a good idea, Skye," he said quietly.

She stopped dead in her tracks causing his body to tilt forward and almost topple forward.

"Lucas," she placed a hand on his chest, above his wounds and away from the tender flesh that surrounded them. "Please, you need to rest."

He covered her hand with his and nodded, offering her a genuine but pained smile.

Again, giving in.

She was becoming his weakness, perhaps she always was, ever since he first met her.

* * *

><p>He had been right; there wasn't a soul to be found in the camp, most everything in sight had already been stripped and taken to god only knows where. Various pieces of equipment lie smashed on the ground and tattered bits of material clung to the trees. The only tent that still managed to be somewhat salvageable was Lucas'.<p>

Maybe they thought he'd come back all along.

Skye pushed the flap aside and ushered him in, leading him over to a cot on the far side of the tent. She helped him sit down and did fresh clean up on his wounds. She dug the last piece of fruit out of her pack and gave it to him. He took it reluctantly.

"I'll find something in the morning," she assured him, "you need to eat."

She built back up his small fire pit and managed to get a fire started, something just enough to keep them warm and keep the creatures of the night away. She took a quick look around while he was eating. By the looks of it, even his tent was pretty well stripped. His equations still surrounded what was left of the walls and some of his belongings were spread about, but there wasn't much, nothing that looked like it could help them anyway.

"Lucas, there isn't anything here—" she stopped, he was already flat on his back, his breathing calm and steady.

"Never mind," she whispered. Skye pulled one of the blankets out of her pack and draped it over him, instinctively letting her fingers drag through his hair. "Good night, Lucas."

She placed her own blanket on the ground as she had the night before and pulled it snugly around her body, allowing his breathing to lull her to sleep.

**A/N: So I'm super sleepy and have to work in the morning, but wanted to give you all something. Might comb through it later and make minor changes and fix things. But for now, enjoy it for what it is and as always thanks for reading!**

**-Shelly**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I am totally updating while wearing an eyepatch...all because I love you guys! Nothing major, I hope, just annoying as hell while trying to focus on anything. Enough about me, lets get on to the yummy stuff shall we!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Lucas was still fast asleep when Skye woke up in the morning. She'd never get over how peaceful he looked in his sleep, no anger, no pain, just an exuding calmness that caused the corners of her lips turn up. He had a rough day yesterday, she hated seeing the pain bursting behind his expressive jade eyes, but he kept up his tough guy façade and encouraged her that they keep going. She'd let him sleep, no point in waking him up, she was sure she could manage finding something to eat and maybe some supplies.<p>

She searched the camp for a good hour or so, not finding much left in any of the tents, an extra pack, a few bandages, and a bottle of antiseptic, a few sleeping bags and some scraps of paper with Lucas' equations sketched on them; she figured he'd want those back. Not much in the line of food either, some exotic fruit, and a canister of nuts, she guessed they'd head back to the river and do some fishing before too long, or at least that's what she wanted to do; she'd about had it with fruit. She wouldn't have minded so much if it would have been apples, peaches, pears, hell even mangos, but most of the jungle fruit was hit and miss.

Both really sweet and juicy, or horribly bland.

She pulled back the flap and was shocked to see Lucas standing with his back to her, dressed in new pants and a long sleeved blue shirt pushed up to his elbows and trying to pull on a shoulder holster.

"Son of a bitch," he grumbled attempting to get his bad arm into the strap.

"Ahem," Skye coughed to get his attention.

He turned to face her and she also found that he had somehow managed a shave. He features were warm and welcoming, as they usually were, his eyes meeting hers with a light smile.

"Hey," he said softly. "I uh, I was just trying to..." he wiggled his arm slightly and chuckled. "Well I wasn't doing as well as I thought."

Sky smiled and shyly approached him, her hand lazily sliding up his chest and slipping under the holster strap. His breathing deepened and his eyes dilated and fixated onto hers while she slowly slid the garment off of him.

She walked behind him and slipped his bad arm through the first strap, then moved on to the other side. She went against everything that kept telling her no and let her hands move around to the front of his chest while she stayed behind his body, fastening the two sides together.

"With all those brains, you think you'd be smart enough to do the bad arm first," Skye playfully whispered into his ear, she could practically feel the shiver he emitted.

"What can I say," he said softly, turning his head to face her, "I was never really good at dressing myself."

Skye glided in front of him, her eyes never leaving his. Lucas moved his face down to hover inches in front of hers, tracing the outline of her face with his thumb as he had done so many times before.

"I bet you're better than you think you are," she grinned, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Skye was past the point of caring, she knew he was wrong for her, she wasn't ready to let go of all the things he had done, but she had danced this dance with him before. The shy, playful, dare she say seductive Lucas Taylor, the one who made her heart skip a beat with his attentive brushes against her skin. She was anxious for it now, waiting for his lips to close in on hers, to win her over with his sweetness.

But it never came.

He laughed lightly and pulled back, taking her hands in his.

"I have a surprise for you," he said, walking away from her and grabbing a bag from the floor.

"I thought they took your gun," Skye paused, she knew they did, she had been there after all. "You know, that day…with the rover."

"Ahh, yes, the rover; not my fondest memory," he said running a hand through his hair. "I have more than one, Bucket; I'd be a fool not to."

Lucas returned to her side and gently led her out the tent by her elbow, "Now come on, I think you'll enjoy it.

They climbed up one of the ladders and walked through the maze of bridges until they reached a large tree house, a good bit larger than the others.

"That one was Mira's," Lucas said nodding in its direction.

"And?"

"And," he stopped and smiled smugly, handing her the bag. "It has a full bath, solar panels and all; wouldn't you like a nice hot shower?"

Lucas' smile grew wider when her eyes lit up and before he knew it she was on her tip toes pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, her lips moving against his skin and then the reward of a second chaste kiss. Lucas could feel the heat in his cheeks; she was probably the only person alive that had the power to make him blush. He laid a hand on her back to steady her, hoping she would never leave his side, enjoying her closeness. But she sank back down to the ground, taking his feelings with her.

"Go on, Bucket, I'll wait here," he said calmly, as if he wasn't affected by her actions. He didn't want to scare her away, he needed her, and therefore he would let her make the first move.

Skye nodded once, and with a smile she vanished into Mira's tree house.

* * *

><p>She didn't know why she did it, why she felt the urge to show him any kind of affection what so ever, let alone a quick kiss. She couldn't even fool herself anymore, her attraction towards him was just too strong to ignore. But she couldn't let anything come of it, no, absolutely not. There was no way in hell it would work; how could it? The man she saw as a second father was the man he wanted, no, tried to kill. But he didn't, because she stopped him, and she wasn't sure she'd be strong enough to stop him again. Not now.<p>

A content sigh escaped past her lips as the warm water flowed through her hair and over her body. The river would always do in a quick fix, but there was nothing comparable to a proper shower. Skye popped her head out from the curtain and carefully opened the pack he sent her in with. Along with the spare clothes she had packed for herself was a small container of shampoo and a bar of soap. It looked like Lucas had done some scavenging of his own, but with better luck; also explaining his newly shaven face and his own change of clothes.

All her thoughts were washed away along with the grass stains and dirt, and were replaced with thoughts of Lucas. She may not have been able to have him, even if she could she wasn't sure if his actions were motions of the need for physical contact or the need for her, but she had him once, and that was enough to leave her wanting more.

"_Skye Tate, to see you sir," the phoenix soldier that was serving as her escort announced._

"_Who," she heard his voice call out in annoyance. Skye stepped around the guard and into the doorway, Lucas' demeanor immediately relaxing when his eyes met her. "Bucket," he smiled. _

"_Leave us," he commanded the soldier, "and close the door behind you." Lucas stood from the desk and circled her, eying her with sideways grin._

"_What can I do for you, Bucket?"_

"_It's Skye," she corrected._

"_What can I do for you…Bucket," he said with a smirk._

"_Don't hurt him, Lucas, please, you've hurt him enough. Just let him go," Skye pleaded._

"_Ah, yes, young Shannon," Lucas nodded. "But I had such fun plans for him, Bucket,"_

"_Lucas, please." Skye took a step forward, ignoring the cries of "no!" in her mind. She rested her hands on his chest, "please, Lucas, for me."_

"_What's in it for me?" Lucas asked, his voice dropping a level._

"_That's why I'm here," she put on a smile, and slid her hands down the length of his body and back up again._

"_No, you're here for __**him**__," Lucas growled, moving his face closer to hers. "Do you love him, Skye, is that why you're here?" he whispered._

_The sound of her name rolling out from his lips sent a shiver down her spine. "He's my friend, that's all, just a friend," she breathed._

"_I thought I was your friend, Bucket." He inched a little bit closer, until his lips were hovering hers. "Although, I will admit, I would like very much to be more." Lucas' mouth softly came down on hers and he gently folded her into his arms._

_She tried telling herself she didn't like it. That the sweet caress of his lips and the softness of his touch wasn't real; because how can someone so undoubtedly evil taste so heavenly. His hand weaved through her dark curls, pulling her closer to him. Lucas ran his tongue across her bottom lip and she welcomed him in, letting out a soft moan in the process. _

_Skye's hands slipped beneath the straps of his shoulder holster and Lucas quickly stopped his ministrations and grabbed her wrists. _

_There he was, the Lucas she knew; with a spark of anger flashing in his jade eyes._

"_You don't trust me?" she teased, stepping forward, pushing up on her tip toes giving a feather light kiss to the side of his mouth. "We'll just have to change that," she whispered before her lips brushed against his rugged mouth once more. Lucas released his grip, slowly, not taking his eyes off of her. _

_She slid the holster off and gently placed it on the floor, then ran her hands up his chest before undoing the top buttons. His eyes were emerald now, and dilated, and full of desire. Skye continued unbuttoning him and let his shirt drop to the floor, she stood before him, admiring his scared yet beautiful body. She went to touch him again and just as before his hand came up and caught her wrist, but this time there was no anger in his eyes. _

_It was his turn now, he released his hold and her hand fell to her side as his came to rest on her shoulders. He undid the first button, bringing his head down and placing a small open mouthed kiss to the hollow of her throat. He moved to the next and down came another kiss. Lucas continued until he was at the waist band of her pants; on his knees he undid the last button, wrapping his arms around her body he pulled her closer and kissed her right above her navel, flicking her skin with his tongue. _

_She shivered, and knew that he had felt it._

_He stood and cupped her face, resting his forehead against hers, "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said softly, claiming her lips with his own. He smiled against her mouth, and with one fluid motion scooped her up into his arms, carrying her into the adjacent room furnished with a small bed. Lucas lied her down and climbed over her body, one hand firmly placed on her thigh while the other held himself up. He teased her neck with his scruff before his lips found their way to hers with heated desire._

_And she welcomed him in._


	8. Chapter 8

Both Skye's heart and her mind betrayed her, not that this was anything new, the more time she spent with Lucas the more drawn to him she was. He was just so…magnetizing. She forced herself to push the memories from her thoughts and enjoyed the rest of her shower in peace. A nice quiet, hot shower, one of those things she had always taken for granted and now, just after a few days it was something her body craved.

So much better than a swim in the cold waters that surrounded them.

She stepped out and ruffled her dark curls in the towel Lucas had provided before wrapping it around her body. He had obviously used this shower as well, was this his towel, it wasn't like there was a fresh supply. "Stop it," she scolded herself, gathering up the bag and going out to explore the rooms in Mira's tree house.

It was surprisingly normal, a small living area, an alcove with a little round table and chairs, and what she assumed was a bedroom. She pushed open the cracked door and her breath hitched when she saw Lucas sitting there on the bed with his head cradled in his hands.

"Nothing's here," he murmured, letting out a deep breath. He stood and with one sweep of him arms cleared off the vanity in a spurt of rage. "Damnit!" he cursed, bracing himself against the weakened furniture, his back heaving and his head down.

Skye knew she should have just turned around and left, she should have gone and gotten dressed, given him a few seconds to cool off and then seek him out. Unfortunately her curiosity got the better of her.

"Lucas?" she called softly, padding over to his tense frame. He remained still with the exception of his breathing.

"Lucas?" she tried again, taking a chance and placing her hand on the small of his back.

His head shot up with his next breath and he turned to face her, his arm immediately finding her elbow. Lucas' rage vanished and was replaced with a warm smile.

"Bucket," he said softly.

"You okay?" She asked lacking the ability to think of anything else to say, not with those vivid jade eyes pouring into her.

"Yeah, I was just uh," Lucas paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was looking for something." He placed both hands on her shoulders, shook his head and smiled, "But it's not important." Lucas stepped back and she could feel his eyes pass over her body. She still liked that feeling, even if she felt a little exposed and vulnerable, she loved it when he took her in, when he looked at her with such wanton need.

He coughed, "You should go get dressed, then we'll talk about what's next."

_What's next with what? _She thought, with them, no, there was no them, and there couldn't be. She may not have been living there presently, but she still had a home, with friends that loved her, the same ones that Lucas wanted nothing more than to destroy. _But he didn't_ her mind rang out; _he kept them safe because of you._ Skye nodded and shoved her mind's pestering thoughts away.

"Okay," she whispered, holding tightly to her towel and making her way back into the bathroom.

Lucas passed both over his face and sighed, oh how he had wanted to pull her into him and just hold her, her damp, peppermint scented waves were so damned tempting. It took everything inside him not to just reach out to her. Never the less, he had told himself he would allow her to come to him, and he intended on keeping true to his own word.

He leaned over and picked up a few scattered items from the floor. A compass, a bottle of pain killers, some floss and a needle in case the need for an emergency stitching should arouse. Lucas reached behind the bed and wiggled one of the wooden poles loose until it slid out, revealing a little compartment.

"Well, hello," he grinned, pulling out a folded up piece of tattered parchment. At least this was still here, she must have left it in all the hustle to move out, that or she just didn't need it. Mira was just as resourceful as he was, he had taught her well, who else was going to help the sixers survive on their own. Lucas stuffed the paper in his pocket just as Skye stepped back out of the bathroom, her damp ringlets falling around her shoulders, framing the pure perfection before him. He smiled softly at her and picked up his pack, slinging it over his shoulder emitting a hiss when the strap rubbed his wound. Skye crossed the room quickly and took the bag from him.

"Lucas," she sighed, shaking her head disconcertingly, "you need to be careful," she scolded him and slid her hand over his shoulder. The hole was hidden by his shirt, yet she knew exactly where to touch, ever so gently, causing his heart to flutter. How could he not have forgiven her? After all he has done and she still returned to his bedside. He didn't deserve her, but god did he want her. He placed his hand over hers, his fingers curling around her palm.

"I'm fine," he assured her, attempting to sound unaffected by her touch. Lucas took his bag back from her and slung it around the other side. "Much better," he nodded, "let's go, Bucket," he said with a head tilt, ushering her out of the tree house by the small of her back.

* * *

><p>They re-entered his tent and she took a seat on his cot. Lucas couldn't help but think how natural she looked in his bed, how much he longed for it to be their bed. Sliding off his pack, he tossed her half a loaf of bread, "Still somewhat fresh," he grinned as she turned the parcel over in her hands.<p>

"Oh I found this," Skye reached into her own bag and pulled out a small brown, prickly fruit. "Looks like some sort of pineapple," she shrugged.

A pineapple it was not, Lucas had learned the difference between good fruit and bad…this one was beyond bad. "Yea, no," he shook his head, "no, you don't want to eat that."

"It looks good," she raised the fruit to her face and sniffed the leafy stem, "smells okay too,"

"Bucket," Lucas warned, "trust me, that," he pointed an accusing finger at the object in question, "that, thing will bring a grown man to his knees."

"Really," she chuckled.

"Yes, and keep him there. In fact…" Lucas stepped over to her and took the fruit from her hands and promptly threw it out the tent, "problem solved," he grinned. "Now let's talk about tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Skye asked, "You don't think you should rest another day?" She stood from the cot and went to stand in front of him. She absentmindedly undid the top buttons on his shirt and pulled it to one side, checking to make sure the infection had indeed gone. She refused to let him continue to wherever they were going with two infected holes in his chest. The wounds were still slightly inflamed, but seemed okay. She traced a finger around the burned edges, ignoring how warm and inviting his skin was. "How are you feeling," she whispered.

"Right now," he chuckled. Skye could feel his laugh vibrate in his chest.

"Overall," she said firmly, retracting her hands and re-buttoning his shirt. "How do you feel _physically_?" she asked drawling her question out.

"Decent," he replied, "legs are pretty tired, but it won't take long for me to get back to normal."

"Right," she sighed, returning to the cot. Lucas followed and squatted down in front of her.

"Bucket, we really can't afford to stay here longer, I'm sorry, but we need to move on in the morning."

"Where?" She asked.

Lucas stood and turned away from her gaze. Of course he was going to shut her out, did she really think he would do otherwise.

"Lucas," she called softly in desperation, she hated to be left in the dark, especially when she had no choice but to go with him.

He sighed and pulled out the folded parchment from his pocket and handed it to her, his grip holding on for a few moments before he finally surrendered it to her. Skye unfolded it carefully, running her fingers over the lines that were so alien, yet so familiar. His handy work was something she would always be able to spot.

"It's a map," she finally said.

"Yes, Bucket" he sighed, "it's a map."

"To where?" she asked. "I recognize the colony, the falls," her fingers danced across the lines, following them to their current position, "sixers camp," she stopped on a large empty area on the far side of the map, marked with nothing but a handful of x's and little red dots. "Lucas, where is this?" Skye looked up at him only to find he was gazing into the distance, making it a point not to look at her.

"It's quite a journey from here," he said quietly, his eyes slipping closed.

"Lucas," she approached him again and he attempted to look away. "Lucas," she pleaded, placing both her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to face her. His eyes opened slowly and she could see the regret pouring out of his features. "Where, Lucas?" she coaxed.

"You'll see, Bucket," he breathed, resting his forehead on hers, "and I'm so sorry."

She hated hearing the pain in his voice and his refusal to give in was driving her insane, just being in the same room with him was hard enough at times, then he had to go and be like this. All apologetic and sensitive.

She pressed her lips into his and looped her arms around his neck, playing with the mess of curls that lied there. Lucas breathed her in and welcomed her kiss with one of his own. He wrapped her in his arms and nibbled on her bottom lip begging for entrance. Skye gladly received him, allowing his warm sweetness to glide over her tongue. "Bucket," he whispered against her mouth.

"Where, Lucas?" she softly repeated her question, keeping her hold on him. "I'm not going anywhere, and honestly I'd rather find out sooner than later."

Lucas chastely kissed her once more and leaned back, loosening his hold on her.

"Mira," he groaned closing his eyes again, "Mira, found something in the badlands."

"Wait, what?" Skye let her arms fall and he let her back away from him. "Lucas, we can't go to the bad lands! What the hell could be so interesting that you would even risk both of our lives to go there?"

He knew this would happen. He knew she wouldn't take the news with a grain of salt, and naturally it had to be when she was finally emitting some sort of feelings for him.

"They found a prow of a ship, an eighteenth century ship. I know that's where they went, Skye," he stepped forward motioning his hands to het his point across. "Mira will have set up a camp and the Phoe—"

"Absolutely not," she choked out, "you can't do this Lucas, it's too dangerous."

"Skye, they'll have plenty of food, and a safe place to stay, once we get there we'll be safe, _I'll keep you safe!"_

"NO!" she slumped down onto the tent floor, "no, Lucas that's not what I mean," she laughed darkly.

"What then?" he knelt down beside her and brushed a curl behind her ear. "What is it? I won't let them hurt you, Bucket."

"There is only one way _anything_ from that point, or another point in time for that matter, ended up in the badlands." Her voice was weak and when she looked at him a tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"It needs to be done, Skye," he said soothingly, wiping away her tear with his thumb. "They'll come after me soon or a later, and if I don't do this I'm as good as dead."

"You can't open it, you can't, just leave it be," she pleaded. "We can go back," she nodded her head desperately, "chances are Taylor will keep you in the brig for the rest of your days, but he won't kill you, the colony will keep you safe."

"Do not, bring my father into this!" he chided, anger flashing momentarily behind his jade eyes. "Bucket," he sighed, "We both know that isn't possible, it's the only way. Don't…don't…" Lucas closed his eyes and tilted his head, swallowing hard. "Bucket, I need to do this, I finally have something other to live for other than getting revenge on my father."

Skye wiped away her tears and held his eyes with hers, they were so sincere, the part of Lucas that she wanted him to always be. She knew that would never happen, that he would always have a short temper and a never ending vengefulness, but not towards her, and in some dysfunctional way, she could accept that. There was no doubt in her mind that he would indeed keep her safe, he needed her as much if not more than she wanted him.

She nodded slowly, "all right, Lucas," she whispered, putting her head in her hands, "all right."

Lucas leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple, "thank you, Bucket," he murmured into her hair. "It'll be okay, I promise you,"

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Lucas," she said coldly.

"Fair enough," he sighed, "I'll keep you safe, anything else I promise I will do my best to set right. I'll keep them away from Terra Nova,"

"Why," she asked quietly, "why keep them away when I know you'd love to finish Taylor off."

"Because," he smiled softly and cupped her face, "there are other ways to get back at my father, ways that don't involve losing you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Awww who doesn't love the nicer side of Lucas. Don't forget to head on over to livejournal . com and check out the thankyou_bucket community...we are slowly growing and just posted our first challenge!**

**Hope you enjoyed, remember to press that little review button down there and make me feel all gooey inside. Really, I love to hear your feedback, it makes my day! And makes me want to write more XD**


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of their evening was, to say it in a word…awkward. She was taken aback and pulled in by his outpour of sincerity towards her, deep down she knew Lucas Taylor still had the ability to be a good man.

Getting him there was going to be a whole different story. She was past the point of playing traitorous games with him, she promised herself right then and there she would be honest in her intentions; she had seen what her betrayal did to him and hated herself for it. Hell, she'd take back the gun shots if she could, but there had been no other way to stop him then. Almost dying had calmed him slightly…unless the monster was still rebuilding inside of him.

They ate what little food they had gathered, across from each other, in silence. Simply eyeing each other through the flickering flames. Her eyes would linger on his gun on occasion, but she would merely shake any unsure feelings away. It was for both of their protection, and he would certainly be a better shot then her.

"The nights are getting colder," Lucas muttered, breaking their silence.

"Yea, good thing we found those sleeping bags huh?" she replied with a soft smile. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Take the bed," Lucas said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand.

"Lucas, you need the rest more than I do, your wounds—"

"Are on my chest and shoulder, Bucket," he sighed, "and I, for one, like to sleep on my back," he motioned towards the cot with his head. "go on."

Skye nodded and reluctantly gathered up her blanket and lied down on the cot. Lucas scooted closer to her on the floor. "See there, not so bad," she heard him say. She peered over the cot's edge to see his bright eyes looking up at her. "Night, Bucket," he grinned.

"Goodnight," she replied quietly, rolling over and falling asleep, content to know he was close by.

* * *

><p>It was Lucas' turn to let her sleep while he gathered up their things. He couldn't dare wake her, not when she looked so peaceful; dark ringlets framing her angelic face. It was all he could do not to push them out of the way, but that would risk waking her, and she needed all the sleep she could get; it was going to be a long day. He slid his empty trunk across the tent floor and felt for the hidden flap, exposing a little compartment. He gathered up what was left of his calculations and neatly packed them away. What he really wanted was his box, why Mira even took it he didn't know, it wasn't like she could open it. He was sure she had it with her though, waiting for him to come and locate another portal. The chance that it led to 2149 was next to impossible, but once they built a new terminus he was sure, that in time, he could set it to go wherever he wanted.<p>

Lucas briefly contemplated 2138 and his poor mother. What he wouldn't give to save her. But that meant losing his precious Bucket. He glanced over to her still sleeping form; and while he loved his mother so, he wasn't ready to let Skye go. Not when she made him feel more alive inside than he had in fourteen years.

He had lied to her and it stung his insides. There was nothing more he wanted to do than retaliate on his father, and none of the options he had running through his mind came with the outcome of him and Skye living happily ever after. Perhaps it was for the best, he didn't deserve to be happy, let alone feel that way for any period of time.

Feel, another thing he had come to crave. He missed what it was like to actually feel something other than hate. He now was fueled by the constant feeling of need. The need for her to stay close, the need to feel her touch, the need for her lips upon his skin, the need for dare he say, love.

No, how could she ever love him in return, she might desire him, but her love he would never have, and it scared him how much pain he felt at the mere thought of it.

Skye stirred behind him and he heard her sleepily utter his name. "Lucas?"

"Morning," he grinned, turning to face her, relishing in the way the morning sun kissed her fair skin. She stretched her arms above her head, her blanket tumbling to the ground and her shirt exposing the faintest bit of skin above the waistband of her shorts. "You should have woke me up," she yawned, "I could have helped."

Lucas shook his head, "it's going to be a hard day, Bucket, you needed the rest."

"Then I assume you already went through my pack?" she accused with an arched eye brow.

"No," he replied with caution, "should I have?"

Skye was honestly surprised he didn't feel the need to see what she had in there, she could have found an extra gun for all he knew, and still he left her things alone.

"No, I, just…uh," she crossed the room and reached down to the bottom of her bag, her fingers closing around the pieces of scrap paper she had found the previous morning. "Just thought you would want these," she said shyly offering them to him.

"Mmm," he hummed as he scanned his own handy work. "Was this all of them?"

"Yeah, all I could find anyway."

"Thank you," he said turning to her with a smile, "they will help in the long run." Lucas pulled on his holster, by himself this time, and arranged the bag across his back. He helped her roll up her sleeping bag and blanket and stuffed them into her bag with little room to spare.

"Ready?" he asked, sliding the pack up and around her shoulders.

"I suppose," she sighed.

Lucas squeezed her shoulders in reassurance, "Don't worry, Bucket, we'll be okay."

"If you say so Lucas," she nodded and let her eyes shut for a moment.

Lucas took the opportunity to lean in and quickly lay a kiss on her lips, tenderly rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I promised," he whispered, pulling away and leading her out by the elbow.

* * *

><p>He was right; their journey was beginning to take its toll on her body. The day was nearly over and Skye's arms and legs were full of scrapes from various brambles and sharpened leaves that they had passed, her legs ached, and her body was coated in a sheen coat of sweat.<p>

"Lucas," she called out to him, falling behind. He kept going, whacking branches out of their way in a lame attempt to clear their path.

"Lucas!" She tried again, her voice full of urgency.

"Yeah!" he yelled back as he hacked away.

Skye planted herself down on a log and let her head hang in her hands. It didn't take him long to notice she had fallen behind, his head snapped up and he spun around, his eyes frantically searching for her in the foliage. Lucas saw her weak and fragile body slumped over on a log.

"Bucket," he said softly, more to himself than to her. He closed the gap between them quickly and knelt down to her level.

"Here," he shoved a canteen into her hand. "you're tired," he said matter of factly.

"Yea," she breathed, amazed that such an obviously blatant statement would even come out of his mouth. "How the hell are you not?"

Lucas chuckled "I am, just motived is all. I guess," he said with a shrug.

Skye nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow.

"You stay put; I'll get a fire going. We're not far from the river so afterwards we'll go down and wash up, okay?"

"Okay."

It didn't take him long at all to set up a fire, the flint he found at the sixer camp made it go a lot faster than it would have otherwise. Skye was now leaned up against an adjacent tree, her eyes already drooping with exhaustion. "Come, Bucket," he said with a laugh, taking her by the hands and pulling her to her feet. She kept tripping over herself on the way down to the water, but he was always there to catch her; after the third time he simply slinked his arm around her waist and led her along. She shook him off once they reached a clearing with a small pool. "I got it thanks," she said lazily, shooing him away with the back of her hand. Lucas nodded and stripped down to his shorts and sunk himself into the water. She waited a few moments before undressing and stepping into the coolness of the pool.

It woke her up immediately, the cold striking every nerve in her body. She let out a held breath and brought up cupped hands, letting the water cool off her face. She closed her eyes and let herself float, casually moving her arms and backing up slowly. Skye backed into something hard and warm, and two arms smoothly wrapped around her body.

"You're so warm," she whispered, "you're always warm."

She felt Lucas chuckle "must be all that anger running through my veins."

"You're not all bad," she said without thought, letting her head rest against his chest. The sleepiness was quickly returning, she could have let her eyes close and had been asleep in moments.

"Really now? "

Skye couldn't see it, but she knew he had that devilish grin on his face. "Sometimes," she yawned.

"We need to get you to bed," Lucas said quietly, pulling her towards the river bank.

Lucas helped her out of the water and wrapped the towel he brought around her shoulders, stuffing their clothes under his arm. He almost had to carry her back to camp, his body supporting hers the whole way, guilt-ridden that he had worn her out so much, they'd take it a little easier tomorrow, she wouldn't last another day like today. Lucas unrolled her sleeping bag a little bit away from the fire, and then carefully lowered her down, covering her with both of the blankets. The air was indeed cold now and she needed to keep warm. Lucas pulled on his jacket and wrapped himself up in his own sleeping bag on the opposite side of the fire. Her breathing evened out in no time, and just when he was starting to fall asleep himself, he heard her muttering in her sleep.

Despite the blankets her teeth still chattered, and he very well couldn't have his dear Bucket shivering cold. Lucas stripped back down and set his sleeping bag beside hers. Gently lifting back the blankets he inched himself closer to her until she felt the coolness of her skin make contact with his.

Reflexively, Skye pushed into him, eager to get closer to the newfound warmth.

Lucas protectively draped an arm around her waist and dared to pull her closer.

"Lucas?" she beckoned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Go back to sleep, Skye," he whispered, nuzzling her neck and pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. Her hand found his in the darkness and her small fingers curled around his.

"Thank you, Lucas."

**A/N: D'awwwwww how cute are they! I can't believe I actually managed to get two chapters out tonight, aren't you guys lucky. Don't worry, sweet Lucas isn't sticking around, you only get him for a little while, so for now just enjoy the fluff and don't forget to review. Okay? Good!**


	10. Chapter 10

Lucas curled into her and pulled her close; he didn't want her to be cold and he needed to be near her. Her fingers squeezed around his and she pushed unbelievably pushed back into him more. Lucas hissed when her back touched his wounds.

"Sorry," she quickly said softly, her body tensing.

"It's fine," he assured her, his breath warm and comfortable in her hair. "Now go to sleep, Bucket," he said dropping a kiss on the top of her head. Skye pushed herself back further into his body, bringing herself impossibly close to him; just like the missing piece to his puzzle, or more appropriately the solution to his biggest calculation, she fit against him perfectly.

He didn't care about the stinging in his chest, or the hurt she was capable of causing him, all he cared about now was how right she felt by his side. Even out here in the jungle, surrounded by who knows what, he had her curled up beside him and that is what mattered to him most. He forgot his issue with his father, for the moment, and just let himself relish in the moment. He kept telling himself it was only for warmth, but the way she pushed into him would suggest otherwise. His own body shivered with what he could only describe as joy, not cold, perfectly content to stay in his current position until his days were done.

Skye couldn't believe how impossibly warm he was despite the cold air around them. She snuggled into his chest and his arm slinked around her, pulling her closer still. She should have minded, but she didn't, not one bit actually, despite their problems it felt right somehow, she had felt something awaken within her ever since that day they had in Terra Nova together. His incredible way of turning on that charm that she loved so much. She even felt bad when she backed into his wounds, reminding her of all the pain she had caused him. But hadn't he caused her pain as well? Yes, and a good amount of it. And if she could be forgiven so easily perhaps she should contemplate forgiving him. He drew her closer in still and whispered for her to go to sleep, placing a welcomed kiss in her hair, his breath warm and his voice so calm and relaxed. She let her breathing even out; satisfied in the comfort of his arms and his warmth.

They laid in silence, both assuming the other one had succumbed to sleep long ago.

"Skye?" Lucas inquired softly. She said nothing, just lied still with her eyes closed taking slow and steady breaths. "Bucket, are you awake?" His hot breath rang out in her ear again

His breathing changed and she felt a shudder in his chest. "I miss her so much, Bucket, so much that's its almost unbearable. But then you come along and make me forget. Forget about all the blood, the beating that she took before they finally let her die. They slit her open everywhere. Her arms, her legs, her stomach and back. They…they," he laughed darkly and she felt him choke back a sob, "they even split her head open, with a god damned plane propeller. " Lucas sniffed from behind her, nuzzling his head deeper into her hair. "None of them deserved it, she didn't deserve it. The dragged it out for so long, when it could have been avoided to begin with." He was silent for a moment as he tried to control his breathing. "But then you found me, and you remind me of her, as does your own dear mother, and now I can't—"

"Lucas," Skye finally spoke, tightening her grip around his hand before she turned over in his arms. He looked so lost, so vulnerable, and dare she say needy; with his glassy eyes and damp cheeks.

"Lucas, is that what all this has been about, your mother?" she reached up and ran a calming hand down the length of his face.

"Help me," he whispered desperately to her, tears stinging the back of his frantic green eyes. "Help me, Bucket, help me forget."

"No Lucas," she whispered, using the blanket to wipe away his tears, an act she never thought she would do. Ever. "You have to remember her, Lucas; you have to hold on to the good she left behind. The same good that is deep down in you."

"But it's not there, Skye," he said shaking his head, "there is no good left in me," his voice grew a little stronger, almost to the point of being a snarl. "My _father_ saw to that."

"Don't say that, I'm sorry, you can call me selfish, but I," Skye paused and laid both her hands on his chest. "I'm sorry, Lucas, but I'm glad he saved you."

Lucas blinked, taken aback by her words.

"Now do you hate me as well?" She asked timidly.

"No," he shook his head definitively, "I could never hate you." He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him tightly, resting his head above hers. He pressed a kiss to her temple and buried his face in her dark curls, "never," he whispered again and she nuzzled into him.

"Good," she replied.

Lucas pulled back, tilting her head up to meet his gaze, his eyes still glossy. He smiled softly, "You ruin me, you know that," he chuckled, the vibrations in his chest rumbling between them.

"I know," she grinned, pushing herself up to place a kiss on his already scruffy cheek. "Now hush and let me go back to sleep," she yawned, snuggling back into his chest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, so we got a lot of fluff and some momma drama, with some help from jemmalynette's tumblr prompt. I intended this to be longer, but I felt that it said what it needed to and it felt like a chapter break to me so here it is**. **Hope you enjoyed, remember to press that review button and make Shelly happy okay?**


	11. Chapter 11

Lucas woke first when the sun rays coated his face and he nuzzled closer into her, just holding her until she woke. Skye pulled back gently and looked up into his penetrating eyes.

"Morning, Bucket," he whispered softly pressing a chaste kiss to her temple.

"Good morning," she yawned never averting her look, getting lost in the lush green wonders before her.

"Well, do I?" he questioned with a smirk on his freshly scruffy face.

"Do you what?" she replied with a chuckle of her own.

"Do I have the great commander's eyes? That's what they say, you know." Lucas stretched his arms before they settled back around her body. "And you would know best of all, Bucket."

Skye took a deep breath and pressed her hip against his, feeling his arousal. She leaned up and kissed him softly, her lips covering his in bittersweet bliss before they pulled away. "No," she whispered, "Taylor's eyes are blue, and less forgiving," she said softly with an evil grin before flipping back the blanket and pulling on her clothes. "So we should be going; right?" She paused a moment before lowering her voice to mock him, "The sooner we leave the sooner we get there."

Lucas chuckled, getting dressed himself and miss-buttoning the top of his shirt. "Yeah, I suppose we should. "

Skye bit her bottom lip and tread over to him, fixing his buttons as he eyed her hungrily, resisting the urge to grab her by the hips and pull her into him.

"Well then," she coughed, "we should get going."

* * *

><p>They trekked through the jungle, and when the morning heat caught up with them she removed the button down that draped over her tank tops. He already had his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, he always did; no matter the weather and even if they were protected by his outer shell of a jacket.<p>

Lucas moved quickly in front of her, wielding a large branch and knocking away a clear path for them to pass through. Both of their knuckles and arms were full of scrapes and minute cuts from the brambles and other forms of plant life that they had to push through, but nothing serious enough to make them stop. They went in silence, both of them determined to just get through the day and to finally find a camp for the night.

The faster they marched on, the further away they would get from Terra Nova. Skye felt she was at least protecting her former home in this, and she was felt she was also getting further away from Taylor and his pressing looks. This was her choice to be here, she felt Lucas would have let her go if she had wanted to leave. He would have put up a fight, but he would have let her go. If the Commander wanted her back now, he would have to drag her away kicking and screaming. Which she was sure he wouldn't have a problem doing.

Skye wandered behind Lucas without a doubt in her mind that he knew where they were going, he had survived out here long enough, why question him now? Besides he wouldn't lead her into a trap; would he? Despite all the times she had done him wrong, he had never been anything but honest with her. Albeit he was a little on the crazy side…okay a lot on the crazy side, but she had begun to even get used to that. It was just another part of who he was, and he had said it himself, _"there is no fixing me, Bucket."_ The words stung her now just as they did then. Of course the possibility of him being fixed completely was a shot in the dark, but she felt deep down he could be made into a better man. A man strong enough to stand by her side no matter what the consequence.

Skye spotted something large hiding amongst the bushes.

"Lucas?" She hollered a little alarmed and excited at the same time.

He was much more tuned into his surroundings now and quickly turned to face her. His forehead dripping with sweat and his chest heaving with heavy breaths.

"Hmm?" He breathed out.

"Look," she pointed through the foliage, "is that what I think it is?"

It only took him a minute to come behind her and clamp a hand down over her mouth; his other hand slipping around her waist and bringing her down to the ground.

"Shh, it may not be abandoned," Lucas warned.

He eyed the object with suspicion; its large tan body and all too familiar grating over the windows just left out in the open had to have been some sort of a trap.

"I'll go check it out," he whispered gruffly into her ear.

Skye shook her head and he reluctantly let the hand on her mouth fall away. "No Lucas, if anyone is there they would be expecting you, not me." She said quietly, turning to face him. "I'll go."

"Bucket, no. If something happened to you I could nev—"

She silenced his lips quickly with her own. "I'll be all right," she assured him. "and whatever this is," she motioned between them, "should stop."

"Should?" he questioned quickly, raising an eyebrow. "Perhaps," he sighed "but I was under the impression that we were just getting started."

Skye scoffed, "Ugh, just…just wait here," she commanded. "I'll let you know if it's clear."

Lucas nodded once and gave her a weak smile, quickly squeezing his arm around her waist before letting her go. She swiftly removed the sonic from his holster and crept into the surrounding bushes.

Skye tip toed and pushed back the leaves and approached the Phoenix rover, slowly approaching the door and switching the safety on the sonic off, Lucas could hear the sound of his gun charging from his spot in the dirt and his body tensed. If anything bad happened to her it would be the death of him.

She raised the gun and swung it around into the front seat and quickly scanned the inside.

Empty.

Skye held the gun close, ready to engage in a split second and searched her surroundings. Turned out it was abandoned after all.

"All clear," she yelled into the trees, and waited for Lucas to fall into place by her side; she didn't have to wait long, a few moments at the latest and she spun around and slid the gun into his shoulder holster. "You'd be best be holding on to that," she said plainly.

"Yea, I suppose," he agreed, helping her up into the seat before marching around and hopping into the driver's side.

"It's dead," she stated while muddling around the rover's engine.

"Thanks for an input on the obvious," he drawled, rolling his eyes. "Can you get it going?" he asked. "Math, puzzles," he paused and lifted an eyebrow "you…maybe, but a damned rover…not my thing," he said with a scrunched nose and a shake of the head.

"Shouldn't be too hard," she sighed, brushing off his remarks. "But it won't be until morning at the least."

"Well I guess we found a place to sleep," he said smugly, "The back of a rover might not be the warmest, but it's safer than being out in the open."

"Not to mention less comfortable," she mumbled from under the hood of the rover.

"Come now, Bucket, I'll still be here for you to cuddle up with."

"For warmth," she replied dryly. "The dirt was actually growing on me as far as comfort," she grunted. "Not that I don't" she grunted, tugging on some piece of metal, "appreciate—your—company," she breathed after the piece finally came loose and she tossed it to the ground.

"Likewise," he smirked with a satisfied grin, placing his feet up on what resembled the dash and comfortably closed his eyes.

"So," Skye hopped down from the bumper and stood on the railing next to him, perfectly blocking out the sun's rays. Lucas opened one eye to get a look at her and smiled softly. "How long with a rover?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, allowing her curls to dance across the fabric of his shirt.

"Hmm?" he hummed, distracted by her sudden closeness.

"To the badlands, how long by rover? Seeing as we won't have the need to walk there anymore."

"Oh, right," he nodded and sat up to face her. "A day, maybe two tops." He said assuringly.

Skye nodded and a held back tear slipped down her cheek. Lucas was quick to wipe it away with his thumb, bringing her closer to him. "I have to do this, Bucket, they'll try and do it without me, or hell even come after me. It won't be good if they just find us together, and if they try to open a portal without me, they could cause more damage than good." Lucas sighed and cradled her head in his hands, "but I promised that I'll take care of you."

"I trust you," she whispered with glassy blue eyes.

Lucas scoffed, "you do? And when exactly did that happen?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, "but I see it this way, you have had plenty of chances to kill me, to attempt to get information out of me, and you only let me inside that wonderful head of yours." She pushed back his hair and traced her fingers down the scars behind his ear. "Why me? Why let me in?" she asked longingly.

"Because you listened," he replied with a sad smile, "because when all hope was lost, you came back to save me." His voice dropped a few levels, "and that, Bucket, is worth letting you in."

Skye retracted her hand and smiled sadly, knowing that soon her former home would soon be put in jeopardy, and what little family she had left along with it.

"I best get to work then," she said softly, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"I won't let anything happen to your mother either, you know that right?" he asked pleadingly. "or anyone else not deserving," Lucas continued through gritted teeth. "Knowing now what I didn't know then has changed things," he shrugged with a scoff.

"Or maybe it is you that is changing, Lucas," Skye replied, stepping back up next to him. "See there, not all bad," she grinned squeezing his hand gently.

"But I am, Bucket," he said sadly running his other hand down her cheek. "You have no idea how bad I really am."

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><p><strong>AN: ****again maybe a little short, but I'm on the desktop, not my handy dandy laptop, and I've been feeling like ass the past few days. So what are your opinions on Lucket? Seeing as Lucas and Skye aren't really shippy names, and this makes me sad. Anyway…hope you enjoyed, don't forget to review, I love you all sooo much, I really do!**


	12. Chapter 12

Skye worked through the night and Lucas took it upon himself to get settled in the back of the rover. Luckily for them he found a sonic powered lantern that had a decent amount of charge and hung it over the front seat. He laid the sleeping bags on top of each other for extra comfort and stretched out on the cool metal floor; wondering what exactly he had done to deserve for her to still be here and tending to him.

Let alone caring for him.

It drove him madder by the second, he had wanted her from the second he saw her, no, ever since Deb had mentioned her sweet Bucket, and he had wanted to call her his own. However doubtful that might have seemed. But now she was here, and she seemed keen on his advances.

Skye hopped in the driver's seat of the rover and punched in the code she argued out of Lucas earlier and it started with a shake and a roar. "HA ha!" she exclaimed jumping in the baron back of the machine, "did you hear that Lucas?" she said excitedly, straddling his hips, "I did it, I actually did it!" she laughed.

Lucas' hands came up and rested on her hips and he softly moved beneath her, only stirring his fantasies further.

"Yes, you did," he breathed, "But you should move, Bucket," he warned huskily, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Before you start something you don't intend on finishing."

"And who says I wouldn't finish," she scowled, quickly claiming his lips with her own; pushing him back down so he was flat and she let her hair flow around his face, tickling the stubble that laid there. She felt his arousal and pushed down harder with her hips, earning a growl from his lips, which she took in gratefully. "You do terrible things to me, Lucas," Skye whispered, her mouth grinning against his. He flipped them over, straining to gain dominance, and pinned her beneath him. She gasped and giggled in return when his fiery emerald eyes burned hers, so full of want, so full of need, full of desire.

"What is it you want, Lucas," she breathed when his lips descended down up on hers, his tongue begging for entrance.

"You," he whispered against her, "always you." Skye reached up and tugged the shirt from the hem of his pants and slowly unfastened his belt; all the while his eyes intently on hers. Her small hand wiggled its way inside his pants and she wrapped her fingers gingerly around his hardness. Lucas groaned and his mouth fell onto her collar bone. "Bucket," he moaned, pulling her shirts above her head and kissing his way down, finding the buds beneath her bra with his teeth. "Lucas," she breathed, her breath hitching and her body shivering as her hands nimbly undid the buttons on his shirt and slid it over his head with ease, letting her hands roam over his scarred back and up his chest, wrapping her hands around his neck and entangling themselves in his hair. He used one hand to steady himself and the other to smoothly remove her shorts, slipping a hand under the hem of her underwear, where she was already wet and wanting, eager for him to touch her. "We can stop," he whispered against her lips regretfully, letting a finger sink into her folds. "Oh god," she moaned softly.

"We can still stop," he repeated, kissing her fully.

"No, god, no Lucas don't stop," she huffed and felt him smile against her lips as he sunk another finger into her. He felt her contract against his fingers and slid yet another in. "So_ready, aren't you?" he asked hungrily.

"Yes," she writhed, kicking his pants down and off. "Oh yes," she gasped when his fingers moved quickly in and out of her. "Oh god Lucas," she moaned, and he swallowed it with a kiss gently moving down until his mouth was hovering on her dampened panties. He laughed lowly and teased her through the fabric. Using his mouth to lick her from the outside of the pale yellow cotton before him. Skye bucked her hips toward him and he grasped them firmly with his hands. "Patience, Bucket," he said quietly, going back to his ministrations. "Lucas please," she begged between pants, arching her back. Who was he fooling, he couldn't wait much longer, he slid her panties down slowly and let his tongue flick over her sensitive clit

"Yes, that's it," she groaned, bringing herself up to meet his lapping, writhing in joy, "yes, oh god, Lucas, yes," she moaned again and again.

He loved hearing her moan his name, hell he loved it when she uttered his name period. But this, this took things to a different level, the way she said it with such want, such need. He couldn't take much more and he brought himself back up to her lips, letting her taste herself there. "Lucas, please," she begged wrapping her fingers around his neck then letting them roam down his chiseled chest resting over his erection. "please, Lucas," she whispered against his neck, placing small opened mouth kisses there.

It wasn't like it was when she went to keep Josh alive, as unexpected and as gentle as he was then, this was something new, this had more meaning, both of their feelings were out in the open. Although ever since that night she had wanted him again.

Lucas balanced himself above her and steadied above her opening, sliding in with a groan and a steady thrust. They moaned together as he entered her and his lips found hers once more, his tongue finding sweet satisfaction in the depths of her mouth. He wanted and needed this as much as she, he knew that now. Her legs clamped down firmly behind his hips and she matched his rhythm perfectly, the both of them getting lost in each other's eyes, never letting their looks stray. He groaned and buried his face into the side of her neck, kissing it openly as she too cried out, and they both stayed still a moment before he rolled away and lied next to her.

Skye curled into him and looped a leg over his and chuckled lightly. "Well then," she panted.

"Yes?" he breathed arching an eyebrow.

"That's been a long time coming," she replied shyly.

He enfolded her in his arms and gingerly kissed the top of her head. "Indeed it was, Bucket," he laughed lightly. "Do you regret it?" he asked suddenly worried at her response.

"Not at all," he felt her smile against him, "it was so…so…"

"Mmmhmm," he agreed, not letting her finish and snuggling into her. Lucas rested his chin on top of her hair and let his eyes slip closed, his chest still heaving.

"Now what?" she whispered and he tensed, sensing the inevitable.

"Now we sleep," he chuckled ignoring her question entirely.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Skye grinned, nuzzling further into him.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it, Bucket," he sighed. "Hopefully things will work themselves out."

"I hope you're right, Lucas," she whispered against him. "I hope you're right."

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><p>They laid in silence, just listening to each other's breathing. "I think…" Skye began.<p>

"You think, what, Bucket," he said softly, interrupting her.

"I think I may love you, Lucas Taylor," she stammered out and buried herself in his chest.

Lucas laughed lightly and grinned. "I think I do too," he said, "for a long time now."

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><p><strong>AN: Whooooaaa rating jump here, yea shelly got all nasty on your asses, but I hope you enjoyed it! I know I did! Yum Yum, don't forget to press that beautiful review button, oookkaay?**


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